Tobacco-stripping machine.



PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

J. M. MGINTOSH. I TOBACCO STRIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.8,1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVEN-TOR .WITNESSES F-IG.3

MMWZQ ATTORNE No. 809,724. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

J. M. McINTOSH.- TOBACCO STRIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-8,1905.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

ATTO R N EY J OSFPHINE M. MOINTOSH, OF'PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

TOBACCO-STRIPPING lVlACHlNE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed March 8, 1905. Serial No. 248,958.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPHINE 1N1. MoIN- TOSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Stripping Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to tobacco-stripping machines, and has essentially the following objects: the removal of the stem with a minimum of waste, the transfer .of the removed stem to the operator, and the delivery of the separated leaf in a smooth condition.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear in the specification and be claimed.

The above ends are attained by means of the structure and combination of parts hereinafter set forth, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation ofamachine embodying my invention, Figs. 2 and 3, front and plan elevations of the same, respectively; Fig. 4, a section on line a: a", of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, an enlarged section of a portion of the rolls on the same line when the rolls are in engaged position; Figs. 6 and 7, longitudinal sections of the upper rolls on lines 1 y and z 2, respectively, of Fig. 5; Figs. 8 and 9, side views of the opposite inner faces of the roll supports or standards; Figs. 10 and 11, transverse sections of the same, taken on lines o v of Fig.8 and w w of Fig. 9, respectively; and Fig. 12, a detail of the parts of a tobacco-leaf after the stripping operation.

A convenient embodiment of my invention comprises a table or bed 1, supported by legs 2, in which are mounted a shaft 3, carrying a ratchet-wheel 4, and a pivoted lever 5. A pawl 6 upon the lever 5 coacts with the ratchet-wheel. Upon a transverse bar 7 in the legs is pivoted a treadle 8, whose extremity is connected with the lever 5 by'the link 9. To a third transverse bar 10 is fixed the end of a retractile spring 11, whose opposite end is fixed to the extremity of the pawllever 5, which it downwardly tensions against the upward thrust of the treadle-link 9. A sprocket-wheel 12 is fixed to the end of the shaft 3 and completes a convenient and novel means of driving my mechanism, although steam or other power may be em- 5 ployed.

The bed 1 carries lateral standards or sup 22of a diameter equal to that of roll 20.

Fixed to shafts 19 and 21, respectively, are intermeshing gears 23 and 24, by means of which rotary motion in opposite directions is communicated to the rolls. Mounted upon the shaft 21 is a gear or sprocket wheel 25, which is connected with the driving wheel or gear 12 by the chain 26. The tops of the supports are provided with cap-bars 27, ver: tically adjustable by screws 28. The capbars are connected by rods 29. Fixed to the front margins of the supports by brackets 30 is an extension or feeding table 31, while intermediate the supports upon the bed and projecting rearwardly therefrom is a tray 32 for receiving the stripped leaves.

The inner face of the support or standard. 14 is provided with a circular channel or groove 34, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10, intercepting which is a cam-plate 35. The support 15 is also provided with a similar channel 36 and cam-plate 37, as detailed in Figs. 9 and 1 1.

The rolls are of wood or metal and may be either hollow or solid. The lower strippingroll 22 has fixed to its periphery and flush therewith a curved cuttenplate 38, provided with a rectangular opening forming a part of a recess 39 in the roll adapted to receive the extremity of a pair of pinching or gripping jaws 40 41, mounted in the roll 20, and whose structure is hereinafter set forth and shown in Figsf5 and 6.

The roll 20 is radially recessed at 42 and provided with a curved peripheral plate 43, having a rectangular opening 44 to admit passage of the pinching-jaws. Parallel plates 45, integral with the plate 43 and on each side of the opening 44, extend toward the center of the roll and are connected by a pivot-pin 46. Mounted on this pin is the jaw 41, provided with an arm or shank 47, and the aw 40, with a shank 4S shorter than shank 47, and connected therewith by a spiral spring 49, which normally retains the jaws in closed position. Fixed to the end of shank 47 is a pin 50, which contacts with one end of a lever 51, which is pivoted intermediate its length upon a pin 52 in one of the plates 45. The opposite end of the lever overlaps the shank 48. A slidable bar 53 is longitudinally mounted in the roll 20, with its inner extremity contacting with the jaw-shank 47 and its outer extremity projecting beyond the end of the roll and registering in the channel 34 of the support 14. This bar traverses a flat guide-plate 54 and an arched guide-plate 55, both fixed to the interior of the roll, and the latter affording a slot for a spiral spring 56, which is fixed at one end to the bar and forces the latter outwardly.

The cutter and its actuating mechanism are detailed in Figs. 5 and 7, as follows: A blade or cutter 58, resting against the wall 45, is slidably mounted in roll 20 and registers with a longitudinal slot or passage 59 in the plate 43 in advance of the opening 44. Its inner extremity is provided with a lateral flange or arm 60, which rests upon a spring 61, supported by the plate 43. The outer extremity of the blade 58 normally lies within the peripheral plane of roll 20, but is intermittently advanced beyond that plane by means of a longitudinallyslidable bar 63. The latter has a beveled shoulder 64 near its inner end adapted when the bar is inwardly impelled to contact with and depress the flange 60 and its blade 58. The outer extremity of the bar 63 projects beyond the end of the roll 20 and registers in the groove 36 of the support 15. (Shown in Figs. 9 and 11.) The bar traverses an arched plate 65, fixed within the roll 20 and forming a seat for the spring 66, which is connected at one end to the bar, which it outwardly tensions.

Pivoted to the inner faces of the supports 14 and 15 near their bottom are arms 68, connected at their extremities by a small antifriction-roller 69. Retractile springs have one of their ends fixed to an intermediate por tion of the arms 68 and the other of their ends fixed to the supports at points below the fulcrums of the arms, by which means the roller 69 is normally forced against the periphery of roll 22.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The depression of the treadle 8 through the link 9 upwardly forces the lever 5 and partially rotates the driving-wheel 12 through the pawlandratchet mechanism in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. This impulse communicated through the chain 26, wheel 25, and gears 23 and 24 rotates once the rolls 20 and 22. The operator presents the pointed or thin end of a leaf to the rolls which are in the position shown in Fig. 2-that is, the margins of plates 43 and 38 are opposite one anotherand then applies the power, whereupon the rolls begin to rotate and the cutterbar 63, contacting with the cam-plate 37, is thrown inwardly and momentarily forces the reciprocating blade 58 downward through the leaf and against the cutter-plate 38,thereby imparting to the leaf 71 a transverse slit or cut 72, as shown in Fig. 12. The advance which retain the stem until the roll 20 has revolved to a position facing the operator, whereupon the jaws gradually expand and permit the stripped stem to be manually removed by the operator. Meanwhile the leaf portion 71 after the jaws have closed upon the stem travels rearwardly upon the periphery of the lower roll and under the roller 69, which not only directs the delivery of the pressed and stripped leaf to the tray 32, but assists the stripping operation by retaining the leaf in a plane lower than that of the revolving aws. The operation of the machine tears the stem from the leaf, whose margin is not only as smooth as if it were cut by a knife, but absolutely none of the leaf portion can adhere to the removed stem. My machine requires no readjustment for leaves of varying lengths. If, however, it is desired to change the intensity of pressure on the leaf it is effected by the vertical adjustment of screws 28.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a pair of stripping rolls, of a plate upon the periphery of one of the rolls, a recess in said roll, a cutter mounted in the second roll adapted to register with said plate, and a pair of pinching-jaws in the second roll adapted to register in said recess.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a pair of strippingrolls, one of which rolls is provided with a peripheral recess, of pinching-jaws mounted in the second roll and adapted to register in said recess.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a pair of strippingrolls, one of which is provided with a peripheral recess, of pinching-jaws in the second roll, adapted to register in said recess, and means for actuating the jaws.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a pair of strippingrolls, one of which is provided with a peripheral recess, of pinching-jaws in the second roll adapted to register in said recess, means for actuating said jaws, a cutter slidably mounted in one of the rolls adapted to contact with the periphery of the other roll, and means for reciprocating the cutter.

5. In a machine of the character described,

the combination with a pair of stripping rolls, one of which is provided with a peripheral recess, of a pair of pinching-jaws pivotally mounted in the second roll and adapted to register with said recess, shanks upon said jaws, a spring intermediate the shanks a pin upon one of the shanks, a pivoted lever contacting with the second shank, and with the pin, a slidable bar contacting with the first shank, and means for reciprocating the bar.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a pair of strippingrolls, one of which is provided with a peripheral cutter-plate, of a cutter mounted in the second roll, a flange upon the cutter-plate, spring means contacting with the flange for retaining the knife in elevated position, a slidable bar provided with a beveled shoulder mounted in the second roll and resting upon the flange, and means for reciprocating the bar.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the bed of supports upon the bed, a stripping-roll provided with a peripheral recess mounted in the supports, a second stripping-roll also mounted in the supports and resting upon the first roll, adjustable spring means in the supports for re taining the rolls in contact with each other;

pinching-jaws mounted in the second roll adapted to register in said recess, a flange upon the jaws, a reciprocating cutter in one roll adjacent the pinching-jaws, a flange upon the cutter, a slidable bar contacting with one of the shanks, a second slidable bar engaging the cutter-flange, and means upon the supports coacting with the rolls for re ciprocating both bars.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combinationwith the bed of supports upon the bed, a pair of stripping-rolls mounted in the supports, cam-plates upon the sup ports adjacent the ends of one roll, pinchingjaws in said roll, a cutter also in said roll, slidable bars in said roll for actuating the jaws and cutter projecting beyond the ends of the roll and contacting with the camplates, and springs in the roll and engaging the bars for forcing the bars outwardly In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPHINE M. MoINTOSH.

WVitnesses:

HonA'rro E.BELLOWS, WILLIAM E. BROWN. 

